Month: January 2014

Today I’m visiting with Babette James and revealing why I love to infuse my stories with a sense of home.

There’s something warm and welcoming about returning home. It doesn’t have to be to the exact house or neighborhood where you grew up. The last few times I returned to my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, I visited neither. Yet, something magical happens every time my husband and I drive back there from our current home in Central North Carolina.

We get excited when we see the signs for Marietta. It means we’re about to take the bridge over the Ohio River and enter our home state. Then there’s the excitement of seeing the downtown Cleveland skyline come into view. Before I lay eyes on a single friend or relative, the city itself welcomes me home. It feels like a warm embrace, even when the weather is so cold that I can see my own breath.

While we’re home, my husband drives through our old neighborhoods. He visits his childhood home…